Kataragama weather in January

In January, Kataragama sees average daytime highs of 30°C and overnight lows near 22°C, with 96 mm of rain across 10.7 wet days and about 11.7 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 5th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 30°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 26% of the time in January, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 36 min at the start of January to 11 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Kataragama's 3rd-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Kataragama's year-round climate.

Daytime high
30°
11th warmest
Overnight low
22°
1st coldest
Rainfall
96 mm
10.7 wet days
Daylight
11 h 42 min
6:24 AM – 6:04 PM
Cloud cover
64%
3rd clearest
Wind
11 km/h
6th windiest
Solar energy
5.04 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.0
out of 10

Kataragama is city of Kataragama in Uva Province, Sri Lanka.

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 30°C through the month.

A typical January day in Kataragama reaches about 30°C in the afternoon and slips back to 22°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 28°C and 31°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and about 1°C cooler than February.

15°20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12922
22922
32922
42922
52922
62922
72922
82922
92922
103022
113022
123022
133022
143022
153022
163022
173022
183022
193022
203022
213022
223022
233022
243022
253022
263022
273022
283022
293022
303022
313022

How January really feels in Kataragama

Once humidity and wind are folded in, January averages 26 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
26
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

The story in January is heat — humidity pushes the afternoon "feels like" well above the raw temperature.

Kataragama weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 11th-warmest and 5th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan30° / 22°9610.711.75.0
Feb31° / 22°629.811.84.4
Mar33° / 22°7611.8123.4
Apr33° / 24°14820.512.12.7
May33° / 25°7813.412.33.0
Jun34° / 25°245.812.43.0
Jul35° / 25°204.412.32.9
Aug35° / 25°245.812.22.8
Sep34° / 25°5210.2122.8
Oct32° / 24°19318.811.92.9
Nov30° / 23°28323.811.73.2
Dec29° / 22°19218.111.64.2

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 26% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 20% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 55%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14159
24258
34258
44357
54357
64456
74456
84555
94555
104753
114753
124852
134951
144852
154852
164852
174852
184852
194654
204753
214753
224555
234555
244555
254555
264555
274555
284456
294456
304555
314555

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Kataragama gets around 96 mm of rain over 10.7 wet days in January. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 35% and peaks near 44% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
144
243
343
443
543
642
742
841
941
1040
1139
1237
1336
1435
1534
1632
1731
1830
1929
2029
2128
2228
2328
2428
2528
2629
2730
2830
2931
3032
3133

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of January feels oppressive — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, January lands in the oppressive band about 56% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 93% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
153164
253065
353065
453065
552966
652966
762965
862965
963064
1073063
1173162
1273261
1383359
1483458
1583557
1683755
1793952
1894051
1994250
2094348
2194447
2294447
2394546
2484546
2584547
2684447
2784448
2884349
2984250
3084151
3184052

Wind in January

Winds average 11 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 10 km/h on the calmest days to 12 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
110calm
211calm
311calm
411calm
511calm
611calm
711calm
811calm
911calm
1011calm
1111calm
1211calm
1311calm
1411calm
1511calm
1611calm
1711calm
1811calm
1911calm
2011calm
2112calm
2212calm
2312calm
2412calm
2512calm
2611calm
2711calm
2811calm
2911calm
3011calm
3111calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 36 min at the start of January to 11 h 42 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 6 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 6:19 AM to 6:26 AM, and sunset from 5:57 PM to 6:10 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.66:195:57
211.66:195:57
311.66:205:58
411.66:205:58
511.66:205:59
611.66:215:59
711.66:216:00
811.66:226:00
911.66:226:01
1011.66:226:01
1111.76:236:02
1211.76:236:02
1311.76:236:03
1411.76:236:03
1511.76:246:03
1611.76:246:04
1711.76:246:04
1811.76:246:05
1911.76:256:05
2011.76:256:06
2111.76:256:06
2211.76:256:06
2311.76:266:07
2411.76:266:07
2511.76:266:08
2611.76:266:08
2711.76:266:08
2811.76:266:09
2911.76:266:09
3011.76:266:09
3111.76:266:10

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 5.04 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.42 kWh/m² to a high of 6.27 kWh/m² in March across the year — January's 5.04 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.7Bright
24.7Bright
34.7Bright
44.7Bright
54.8Bright
64.8Bright
74.8Bright
84.8Bright
94.8Bright
104.9Bright
114.9Bright
125.0Bright
135.0Bright
145.0Bright
155.0Bright
165.1Bright
175.1Bright
185.1Bright
195.2Bright
205.2Bright
215.2Bright
225.2Bright
235.2Bright
245.3Bright
255.3Bright
265.3Bright
275.3Bright
285.3Bright
295.3Bright
305.3Bright
315.3Bright
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Kataragama

In seasonPeak

None of Kataragama's seasonal hazards are active in January. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.

Kataragama sits in the North Indian Ocean cyclone zone; the season peaks May and October–November.

Kataragama's monsoon runs October–December, when most of the year's rain falls.

Cyclone
Monsoon
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is January a good time to visit Kataragama?

Our two travel scores rate January for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

5.0
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
6.7
Beach & pool
1st-best month of the year

January is a reasonable time to visit Kataragama for sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Kataragama in January

From January's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In January, Kataragama sees daytime highs around 30°C and nights near 22°C. Pack light clothes. Worth having: rain gear and sun protection. About 11 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Kataragama in January

The nearest coast averages about 27°C in January — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 32 km away) is warmest in April at about 30°C and coldest in January near 27°C.

The water stays above 20°C all year — warm enough for a swim any month.

26°28°30°32°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan27Warm
Feb28Warm
Mar29Tropical
Apr30Tropical
May29Tropical
Jun28Tropical
Jul28Tropical
Aug28Warm
Sep28Warm
Oct28Tropical
Nov29Tropical
Dec28Warm

UV index in Kataragama in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 11 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Kataragama peaks around April 16 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 18 at about 10 (extreme).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeApr 16UV 14Dec 18UV 10
UV index (midday)Level
Jan11Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar13Extreme
Apr14Extreme
May13Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec10Extreme

Air quality in Kataragama in January

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where January falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Kataragama is worst in November — around 48 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 1.8× the cleanest month (July, 27 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecPoorModeratePoorNov 1847 µg/m³Jul 1327 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan42Poor
Feb36Poor
Mar41Poor
Apr44Poor
May36Poor
Jun27Moderate
Jul27Moderate
Aug28Moderate
Sep29Moderate
Oct41Poor
Nov48Poor
Dec44Poor
Location & terrain

Where is Kataragama?

Kataragama sits at 6.4°N, 81.3°E, 48 m above sea level, in Sri Lanka. The nearest listed city is Hambantota, 40 km away.

HambantotaAmbalantotaEllaBadullaPottuvilBeliattaNuwara EliyaHatton

Topography around Kataragama

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Kataragama.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Kataragama has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 371 m around an average of 70 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 401 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,334 m.

The land around Kataragama is covered by trees (80%) within 3 km, trees (83%) within 16 km, and trees (58%) and water (30%) within 80 km.

3 km
371 m
16 km
401 m
80 km
2,334 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
January weather nearby: Hambantota 40 km · Ambalantota 48 km · Ella 60 km · Badulla 70 km · Pottuvil 75 km · Beliatta 78 km · Nuwara Eliya 87 km · Hatton 97 km

Sri Lanka travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type D / G / M
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 27% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$5,002
2025
Happiness
4.0 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
47%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
3.3
per 100k, 2019
Road deaths
19.7
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Upper middle
World Bank
English
Low
EF EPI 486
Religion
Buddhist 70%Hindu 13%Muslim 10%Roman Catholic 6%

Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Kataragama (6.4134°, 81.3346°, elevation 48 m), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google. Tropical-cyclone seasons are the published climatological basin seasons (NOAA National Hurricane Center / regional warning centres). Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).